France - Burgundy Flashcards
1
Q
Location
Main areas
Plantings
Overall quality & price levels
A
- located in central France; with Chablis being more northern, closer to Champagne than to the Cote d’Or.
- comprises 5 areas: Chablis, Cote d’Or, Cote Chalonnaise, Maconnais and Beaujolais.
- Plantings vary: a) Chablis 80% Chardonnay; b) Cote d’Or 60% Pinot Noir; c) Beaujolais Gamay dominant + Chardonnay.
- mainly good to outstanding in quality.
- mid-priced to super-premium.
2
Q
Location
Style
Quality & price levels
A
- northern-most part of Burgundy, 110km northwest of the Cote d’Or.
- lies in the valley of the River Serein.
- style: all wines are dry, medium-bodied, med alc, zesty high acid, green apple & lemon fruit, wet stones, wet rocks; general trend is for no / minimal oak (some producers might use it for 1er / grand cru wines).
- good to oustanding quality.
- mid-price to premium, with a few super-premium wines.
3
Q
Overall climate and challenges
Options for managing frost
Main soil type
A
- continental (cold winters / warm summers).
- considerable vintage variation.
- rainfall spread throughout the year: risk of fungal diseases / rain at harvest.
- vulnerable to spring frosts and hail storms.
- Options for managing the risk of frost: a) smudge pots (polution / staff); b) sprinklers (costly to install); c) later pruning promotes later bud-burst.
- main soil type: limestone and clay, some with a considerable abount of fossilized seashells (Kimmeridgian soil).
4
Q
Rootstocks used & why
Vine training system & why
Yields (compared to Cote d’Or)
Harvesting method
A
- 41B & 420A rootstock widely used (tolerant to high pH and low vigour).
- double Guyot replacement cane training is typical (frost)
- yields are higher than Cote d’Or; recently reduced by frost & hail damage.
- mostly machine harvested; grand cru sites: too steep, hand harvested.
5
Q
Location, orientation, soil types
and styles of Petit Chablis, Chablis,
Chablis 1er and Grand Cru
A
- Petit Chablis: typically higher, cooler vineyards (top of the hills); Portlandian soils (hard limestone, less clay); on flat soils or gentle slopes; light bodied wines, high acid, light intensity of green apple and lemon.
- Chablis: large area on Kimmeridgian soil; mixed aspects; medium intensity of green apple and lemon.
- Chablis 1er Cru: 40 named vineyards; south to south-east facing; Kimmeridgian soils; named plots (lieux-dits).
- Chablis Grand Cru: close to the village itself; single grand cru with 7 climats (including Les Clos and Vaudesir); faces south-west; 1% of total production; greater weight and concentration.
6
Q
Chaptalisation
MLF
Fermentation vessels
Ageing vessels
A
- chaptalisation up to legal limit is common (not in warmest years).
- fermentaion: typically in stainless steel / concrete.
- storage: typically stainless steel / concrete; wines may also spend time on lees to enhance texture; battonage is rare.
- malolactic conversion is common.
- only some 1er & grand crus will be handled with oak (fermentation / ageing);
- there’s a range of styles, varying from stainless steel / concrete through to old oak and new oak.
- this issue is very controversial.
7
Q
Grape variety permitted
Yields
A
- Only chardonnay is permitted.
- Petit Chablis & Chablis AOC: 60 hL/ha.
- 1er Cru AOC: 58 hL/ha
- Grand Cru AOC: 54 hL/ha
8
Q
Distinction between domaines & negociants
Associations representing producers
Price levels (key drivers & comparison with Cote d’Or)
International x domestic markets
Principal international markets
A
- traditional distinction between domaines and negociants is breaking down (negociants buying vineyards and domaines supplementing their production).
- there are several associatons in Chablis, representing producers to combat fraud or promoting the quality of its Grand Cru.
- comparing with Cote d’Or: domaine & level can drive price; prices are lower than the corresponding quality level in Cote d’Or.
- 2/3 (by volume) are exported.
- principal international markets: UK, US, Japan, Sweden.
9
Q
Overall climate (difference with southern parts)
Factors influencing individual sites
Factors affecting vintage variation
Climatic challenges (frost, hail & rain)
A
- overall climate: moderate continental (cold winters / short warm summers); typically dry autumns.
- Maconnais is slightly dryer / warmer.
- factors influencing individtual sites: aspect, altitude, degree of slope and soils.
- great vintage varitation: due to its northerly location, vineyard site and particular weather of each year.
- frost can be an issue (both varieties are early budding).
- hails is also an isse: a) early in the vintage can cause reduced yield; b) later in the season, it’ll damage grapes (can promote the spread of grey rot).
- rain can also be an issue: a) early in the season can disrupt flowering / fruit set; b) during the season increases the ristk of fungal diseases; c) at harvest can lead to dilution and greater risk of rot.
10
Q
Critical factors influencing quality & style
Cote d’Or location
General aspects and orientation
Top x bottom x mid-slope sites
Best sites in Cote Chalonnaise
Best sites in Maconnais
A
- aspect & elevation: most critical factors in quality and style.
- Cote d’Or lies on a range of hills, north to south, 200m to 400m ASL.
- side valleys are orented in more east-west directions at various points.
- range of different of aspects, with most south or sout-east facing.
- sites at the top of the slope: poor shallow soils / exposed to the wind (aligote, cremant).
- sites on the bottom of the slope: deeper soils / vulnerable to frost.
- sites mid-slope: best sites = a) well-draining / shallow soils;
b) good sunlight interception; c) better frost protection; d) better ripening potential. - aspects are more varied in Chalonnaise: beste sites are south-east facing (Bouzeron & Rully).
- best sites in the Maconnais are in Pouilly-Fuisse; some of those sites have now gained 1er Cru status (22 sites).
11
Q
Main composition
Soil type in Cotes de Nuis
Soil type in Cote de Beaune
Soil type in Cote Chalonnaise & Maconnais
Variatioin in soil depth (top & bottom of slopes)
Effects in viticulture
A
- generally, soils are composed of mix of limestone & clay, with varying proportions.
- Cote de Nuis: mix dominated by limestone (majority of highly regarded Pinots grow here).
- Cote de Beaune: mix dominated by clay, deeper soils (majority of highty regarded Chardonnays grow here).
- Cote Chalonnaise and Maconnais: mix range of clay and limestone.
- Depth of soils above the bedrock varies, due to the soils moving down by erosion.
- Top of the slope: soils are shallow - too little soils for vine to grow.
- Bottom of the slope: soils are deeper, with more clay and poorer drainage and more fetile - leads to more vigour = greater risk of shading = less ripe grapes.
12
Q
Budding & ripening, advantages (3), disadvantages (2 + 4 diseases) and flavour characteristics
A
- early budding / early ripening.
- Advantages: a) early ripening - suitable for cool regions; b) produces relatively high yields without loss of quality; c) can grow in a variety of soils.
- disadvantages: a) early budding - suceptible to frosts; b) prone to grey rot, powdery mildew, millerandage and grape vine yellow.
- flavour characteristcs: a) cool climate: apple, pear, lemon and lime, wet stone notes, light to med body, high acid, med alc;
b) moderate climate: ripe citrus, melon, stone fruit, med to med(+) body, med(+) to high acid
13
Q
Budding & ripening, advantages (2) , disadvantages (4 + 5 diseases) and flavour characteristics
A
- early budding / early ripenning.
- Advantages: a) suitable for cool climate; b) can produce high quality wines, expressive of terrior.
- Disadvantages: a) susceptible to frost; b) yields - opposite to Chardonnay; c) very delicate: millerange, downy & powdery mildew, fan leaf and leaf roll viruses; d) in warm climates, it’s prone to echaudage (sunburn) and tends to ripen too fast (reduced intensity);
- flavour characteristics: cool climate: strawberry, raspberry and red cherry flavours; village level and above - light oak-derived flavours (smoke, clove), low to med tannins (grand cru can have med(+) tannins), med alc, high acid; with ageing - earth, game, mushroom and forest floor notes.
14
Q
Training systems & planting density
Yield control techniques
Debudding & green harvest: advantages & disadvantages
Organic & Biodynamic
Pestes & diseases (4) + treatment
Method of harvest
Harvest date (pros & cons)
A
- some vines are pruned using Cordon training systems (Cordon de Royat - limits vigour / more old wood = harbour diseases).
- traditionally: Guyot (more recently Poussard-Guyot).
- planting density: typically 8k - 10k vines / ha.
- yield control: winter pruning, debudding (before flowering) and green harvest.
- advantages: a) debudding - good balance in the vine; b) gree harvest - allows producers to assess the size, shape and position of the bunches / assess weather damage (hail) before taking action.
- disadvantages: a) debudding - reduces yield early in the season (frost, hail, fungal diseases can reduce yield further); b) green harvest - can cause changes in vine development through compensation (excessive growth in the remaining bunches).
- organic / biodynamic: have become more popular; challenges: climate & the size of the vineyards (shared vineyards + different opinions between producers).
- pestes & diseases: a) grape moths = pheromone capsules;
b) fungal diseases (powdery & downy mildew, grey rot) = canopy management + spraying; c) Grapevine yellows = producers are trying to control the spread; d) esca and other trunk (significant problem) = H2O stress avoidance + treating pruning wounds with fungicide. - harvest: mostly done by hand; date of harvest is crucial:
a) early = preserves acid / grapes might not be fully ripe;
b) late = riper fruit / challenges with weather.
15
Q
Acidification / deacidification / chaptalisation
Harvestin & sorting
Pressing & must clarification (premium / less premium wines)
Must hyperoxidation (why)
Native x inoculated yeast
Fermentation temp (premium x less premium wines)
Fermentation vessels (premium x less premium wines)
Oak maturation
Proportions of NFO & barrel size
MLF
Batonnage
Filtration
A
- acidification / deacidification permitted (latter rarely used).
- chaptalisation: used to the regular; less necessary with climate change (warmer vintages) and better canopy management.
- almost all grapes in Cote d’Or are harvested manually.
- almost all grapes are sorted = sorting tables.
- typically bunch pressed (aids drainage) directly (to avoid extracting tannins).
- must: a) premium wines (clarified by sedimentation); b) less premium wines (by other methods).
- must hyperoxidation: with aim to produce a wine less prone to oxidation (to avoid PremOx).
- fermentation: a) native yeast = common practice (producers belive it encourages terroir expression) ; b) incoculated yeast = for volume / regional wines.
- fermentation temps: a) premium wines = 16-18 oC; b) inexpensive wines = 20oC
- fermentation vessels: a) premium wines = barrels; b) inexpensive wines = stainless steel.
- Maturation: 8-12 months in oak for premium wines.
- NFO proportion: a) regional wine = little, typical no NFO; b) village level = 20-25%; c) 1er Cru = 35-50%; d) grand cru = 50% and above, up to 100%.
- Size of the barrel: 228 L (piece); some producers use 500 - 600L (subtler impact of oak / oxidation).
- Malolactic conversion: wine usually undergoes; for fresher styles, a proportion can be blocked.
- Batonnage = it’s typical; periodicity varies from producer to producer (can reduce reductive flavours / add creamier texture).
- White wines are more often filtered than reds.
